Haytham Kenway

Haytham Kenway (4 December 1725-16 September 1781) was the Grand Master of the Colonial Rite of the Templar Order from 1754 to 1781. He was the son of the famous pirate Edward Kenway and the father of the Native American assassin Ratonhnhake:ton.

Biography
Haytham Kenway was born in London, Great Britain, in 1725, living in Queen Anne's Square with his parents Edward Kenway and his second wife Tessa Kenway. He was first trained to use a sword at the age of six by his father, who was a former member of the Assassin Order who gained riches through piracy. He was orphaned when his father was killed by mercenaries in 1735, and he was convinced by his father's friend Reginald Birch that Edward was a member of the Templar Order. Kenway was recruited into the Templars, and became a soldier in the British Army during the War of the Austrian Succession in the 1740s. He served alongside Edward Braddock, another member of the Order, and at the Siege of Bergen-op-Zoom, he witnessed a small portion of Braddock's cruelty in massacring innocent civilians who wanted to join Kenway and Braddock in escaping the besieged town on a skiff with them.

In 1754, Kenway was given an important assignment: the assassination of Assassin Order Mentor Miko Little, who held the key to The Grand Temple in the Thirteen Colonies. Kenway joined Birch at the Theatre Royal in Covent Garden, London during a showing of John Gay's "The Beggar's Opera", where he was ordered to kill Little and steal the key. Haytham was able to climb onto the walls and go around backstage (behind the curtains), and he climbed onto a ledge behind Little's balcony. He snuck up to Little and stabbed him through the back with hidden blades, stealing the key necklace from Little's neck. Haytham then entered a carriage and told the driver to take him to Fleet and Bride, walking out of the theater and escaping the crowd.

Haytham found out from Reginald Birch that the key would open a storehouse made by Those Who Came Before. Birch said that the storehouse could have a weapon, knowledge, or unfathomable things. Birch said that whatever awaited behind the doors would be a great boon to the Templars in London. Mister John Harrison told Haytham that it was located in the Thirteen Colonies, and Birch gave him a name list of five men who could help him: Charles Lee, William Johnson, Thomas Hickey, Benjamin Church, and John Pitcairn. Haytham was ordered to head for Boston in Massachusetts, where he would meet his American links.

Kenway traveled aboard Samuel Smythe's trading ship "Providence" en route to Boston from 20 April to 8 July 1754. He headed to the upper deck for some fresh air, but he was encountered by Hector Graves, who insulted him and tried to fight him. Haytham beat down Hector and his friend Quill, beating Hector up and stealing his knife, and counterattacking against Quill and knocking him out. Captain Smythe told him to come to his cabin as he dismissed his men, and Graves informed Kenway that he needed a favor - he believed that the crew was planning a mutiny, so he needed his help in stopping them, or else he would never reach America alive.

Haytham returned to his cabin to end the day, and twenty-six days later, he met Smythe, who came to Kenway's cabin. Smythe told Kenway that the mutiny was coming to a head, and Kenway thought that he best get to work. First, he played a game of Fanorona, winning against his enemy. He then proceeded to interrogate a crew member for answers on the mutiny, but he told him to talk to the cook or doctor. Haytham found out from Louis Mills that Smythe's cuts on rations and cargo for the crew made the crew on edge, influencing Hector and Quill to be nasty. He then talked to the cook, who told him that James, the man behind him who was sitting on a barrel, could tell Haytham about strange goings-on around the ship. James told Haytham that he needed to talk to him on the top deck, and James told Haytham that some of the men gathered at night on the upper deck. He found out that they boded ill, but all he knew was that the crew had little love for the captain, and Mills attempted to talk the mutineers down. At the stern, Haytham found out that someone threw cargo overboard, and was curious, but headed back to his cabin to end the day. Five days later, Haytham found out that the "Providence" was followed by "Aquila", a ship of the Assassins. Smythe told Haytham to go below deck, as he had no knowledge of naval warfare. He was encountered by Mills, who revealed that he was an Assassin, and told him that he would be treated with honor if he surrendered. Haytham demanded a sword to be treated with honor, and he dueled Mills. He slashed Mills in an "x" shape across the chest, impaled him through the chest, before vertically slashing him across the chest.

Haytham returned to Smythe, telling him to sail into the storm to escape the "Aquila", and Haytham aided in saving one of the crew members from falling during the winds and waves of the sea storm. He secured the rigging as well, preventing the ship from veering off course. Aquila sunk in the storm, and on the 72nd day of the voyage, Haytham arrived in Boston. He was greeted at the harbor by Charles Lee, one of the men on his list that he was supposed to meet up with. On 8 July 1754, he arrived, and was told by Lee that he should explore the city once he settled in. While walking the street, he played a game of Six Men's Morris ("Cowboy Checkers", a game dating back to the Roman Empire), but lost 100 pounds in a match. He then met Benjamin Franklin, who asked him to find torn-out pages of his Almanac if he could catch them. Benjamin promised him that if he collected all of the pages, he would be rewarded. He accompanied Charles Lee to The Green Dragon Tavern, where he found out that another man on his list, William Johnson, was expecting him.

As he headed there, Kenway got into a fight with some British regulars